At The Pier
by The Legend of Rune Factory
Summary: Alicia goes to the same place, at the same time, every single day. One morning someone else is there, and this piques her curiousity. The newcomer isn't interested in her fortune-telling skills, but he is interested in something else.


**This is the first story I've uploaded in around two months... Oh well. I am back with yet another contest entry, this time for the theme "Recurrence" in the Rune Haven forum.**

**I found this pairing to be one that no one really thought of, but is completely possible! So, enjoy my NicholasxAlicia one-shot.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

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Alicia sighed a rather heavy, long, and drawn-out breath. She sat down on the bench at the pier, her spot for business. Quickly counting the faint chalk tic-marks, she realized that it had been a year since her life crumbled. _A year since Kyle went off and married Mana_, She sadly noted. It wouldn't have been so hard on the young woman, except that she had been so sure that he loved her, and not the raven-haired oddball.

She reached down and made yet another mark. Every day she would come to the pier, wait for the business that would never come, and make a mark. The salty air around her would clear her head somewhat, but she knew that she was falling swiftly into depression. No amount of air or days could fix that. _Time heals all wounds… Bah. That's worse rubbish than my fortune-telling lines._

As she was looking around lazily, she saw a rather odd sight. There was a man standing at the very edge of the pier, near the boat to Blessia Island. His purple hair was a few shades darker than hers, with shiny streaks of blue. She tilted her head to one side in curiosity. Then it was like a switch had been flipped, and she jumped to her feet.

"Sir! Sir, I couldn't help but notice you standing there. Would you care to have your fortune told for a small, simple fee?" She rubbed two cards between her fingers for a dramatic effect.

The man seemed surprised, but he shook his handsome head in denial. "Sorry, but no. I have to go do something." With that, he turned swiftly and left the docks.

Alicia stuck out her lip in a pout and went to sit upon the bench again. "Oh, bother," She mumbled.

* * *

The very next day she was once again sitting on her bench, just like she had every day—rain or shine—for the past year. She had a stick in her hand and was scratching designs in the dirt at her feet. Suddenly, a dark shadow clouded over her. She looked up in mild annoyance.

It was the man from the day before. His expression was depressed and his gray eyes were rimmed as if he had been crying at a prior time. "I… I'd like a love fortune, please," He whispered.

She grinned widely. "Of _course_, my good sir!" She closed her eyes as if in deep concentration. "Sim sala bim. Sim sim sim sala bim!" She opened them and smiled slightly at the thought of the money to come for her extraordinary "talent". "I'm sorry to say this, but it doesn't look like anyone likes you romantically. That'll be twenty gold pieces, please."

He tossed them in the dirt and left, his shoulders shaking. She blinked at the gold at her feet before scooping them up and dropping them in her hat. "Sorry, lover-boy," She said aloud.

* * *

Over the next few days, she noticed that the man would always be standing at the very edge of the pier, looking out over the ocean. She offered many times to tell his fortune, but he refused, saying that he wished to be alone. After five days of this, she finally went up to him, grabbed his shoulder, and wheeled him around.

"What is your name?" She demanded.

"Nicholas," He answered slowly.

"Why are you here?"

"I have no place else to go."

"I mean, why are you in Alvarna? You're not from here, and usually people don't stay here for this long if they're just passing through." She released his shoulder and crossed her arms.

He sighed and looked at her sadly. "I came…to ask for Cecilia's hand in marriage."

Alicia gasped. Cecilia and Jake had gotten married the year before. In fact, the half-elf family was expecting a child. She dropped her eyes and tried to think of something to say. "I'm sorry…? I really wasn't expecting that. So, that means that you're from Kardia, right?"

"Right." Nicholas walked over to a bench and sat down. "I promised my mother that I would come home with a wife, and the one I want is taken by another. As children we promised each other that we would grow up and get married." He clenched his fist and a teardrop slithered down his face. "But I guess that promises mean nothing to Ceci."

She sat next to him and whistled through her teeth. "That's harsh. Like, really harsh."

He glared at her sideways, sighing heavily and nodding anyway. "I know…"

"But anyway, I'm sure you'll find someone soon! There's plenty of single ladies in Alvarna. There's Yue, me… Uh… Me… Yue… Ok, so there's only two. But that's still better than none, right?"

Nicholas shrugged. "I suppose… I'm going to go now. I need some time to sort things out."

Alicia watched him go with slight disappointment. She considered calling him back so that she could talk with him more, but she knew the pain of finding that the one you love loves another. _Poor Nicholas… No wonder he was so upset when I told him his romance fortune._

She looked down into the dirt and glared at a small beetle the colour of her eyes. It crawled over a pebble and into a groove made by her shoe earlier. It soon flew off over the ocean and out of sight. She watched it leave with a sort of sadness at losing her entertainment.

* * *

The seasons of spring and summer were soon done and gone away with, as time—though it may not heal the emotional wounds of select persons—passes with or without permission. Alicia and Nicholas met each other every day on the pier, for she was there for business and he came for the air. By the middle of autumn, it became a sort of silent agreement to always meet each other there. Together they managed to learn and forgive, forget and heal.

One morning Alicia came and she was alone. Nicholas was not waiting for her by the island boat and he wasn't sitting on the bench. She looked around; nothing but the dew and the low fog surrounded her. _Where… Where is he?_ An uncomfortable pang shot through her stomach.

She sat upon their usual bench and waited for his arrival. Hours upon hours passed, it seemed, before she heard him running across the stony ground to stop before her. He was gasping for air and his hair was sticking to his forehead.

"Where on earth have you been?" She asked incredulously.

"I've…" He waited until his breath had been caught to tell her. "I was shopping."

One light-pink eyebrow shot up. "Shopping? Whatever for?"

"This." Nicholas produced a diamond ring from his pocket and knelt before her. "I had to go mine the materials, but Jake willingly crafted this for me. Actually, Cecilia had to force him, but either way, this was forged by half-elvin hands. Alicia, I would not want any less for you. I promised my mother long ago that I would go back to Kardia with a wife, and nothing would make me a happier man than for you to return with me. So, Alicia, fortune teller of Alvarna…" He held out the ring to her. "Will you marry me?"

For once in her life, Alicia had nothing to say. No remarks, no direct answers; nothing. Nicholas felt a bead of sweat trickle down his neck. _What is she going to say?_

She jumped on him and hugged him tightly. "Yes! I don't need a fortune to know the answer to that!" She pressed her lips to his.

He was shocked and excited at the same time. He returned the kiss and parted from her, smiling. "What does your fortune say about our future?"

"That we'll be happy together. I see an argument here and there, but nothing that we can't handle."

Nicholas smiled again and kissed her once more. _Now this is a recurrence I like to see happen every day_, He thought. She wrapped her arms around his neck. _Definitely one I like to see._

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**And that is the end! Sorry if it ended a bit oddly. Heh, kind of reminds me of that intended one-shot of mine_, Snow __Day_. Er-hem, moving on.**

**Review and vote please! Hope you enjoyed this. ^_^**

**-LoRF**


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